Stereo Hearts
by Stephane Richer
Summary: If I could only find a note to make you understand I'd sing it softly in your ear and grab you by the hand


Stereo Hearts

Disclaimer: I hold no rights to the song "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes, or _Ouran High School Host Club_ by Bisco Hatori.

* * *

Though she seemed careless and capricious, Renge Houshakuji was, in fact, a very thoughtful woman. She often pondered on weighty subjects, such as philosophy and politics, but everyone referred to her as the crazy video game girl. She liked it that way; she could distinguish those who truly listened to her words from those who politely tuned out once they heard anything related to gaming.

Kyoya Ohtori was a listener. Though he appeared to be busy at work, he was observing and also thinking about what was placed before him. Yes, he thought faster than the average man, but he never lost interest in his surroundings. Renge always received special attention, though. Whenever he was feeling hopeless about his future, or as a wallflower next to Tamaki (though he reprimanded himself about feeling this way, it was of no use to dwell on negative feelings and be overly emotional) he would anticipate her arrival at the club, and at the first sound of her flash cannon he would give a slight smile.

Renge, being quite observant herself, knew Kyoya was no Miyabi-kun. She would not (she could not) fool herself any longer. She was perfectly alright with him not rescuing kittens or wearing adorable scarves. Smirking and taking notes, she had decided, was attractive on its own and more suited his personality. He was good at giving advice, though in an offhand manner, and she had to find the indirect instructions rather than a video game boy holding her hand and showing her. It made the puzzle more fun, a real life video game, as it were.

Renge also seemed, to those who didn't know her, to be the jealous type, but she was actually quite fine with Kyoya's hosting. She knew he didn't mean it. He'd purr sweet nothings, and he'd be talking to the yen and not the girls, touching credit cards and disregarding hearts. He was the beautiful, unattainable one, not speaking with genuine caring (or so it was easy to think) as Hunny or Tamaki.

But he did care. The money, yes, the money, but not entirely. Kyoya's friends were happy when the girls were happy, and even the Shadow King wanted his friends to be happy. And Renge saw that as well. She saw the special glasses-glint that meant, "I am content" and recognized its appearances.

She sighed and propped her feet up on the coffee table. _How do I let him know I feel this way? Eh, he probably knows anyway; Kyoya knows everything._

"Rather un-ladylike, aren't we, Renge?" the man in question asked as he sat beside her, notebook in hand.

"Whatever," she shrugged. Stretching out as far as she could (probably not a good idea), she felt the table slip away from her ankles and skid across the freshly waxed floors, and gave a yelp as she crashed to the floor (okay, definitely not a good idea). Renge heard a chuckle of amusement from above, and Kyoya, holding out his hand, came into view.

As he pulled her up (wow, he was close) he whispered in her ear, "that's one of the expensive ones. You're lucky it didn't hit off of something and crack."

"I'm not a commoner," she replied airily. "I could take care of it." And with that, she skipped off to copy Hikaru's math homework.

Kyoya grinned at her retreating form, her words echoing in his mind. Just the one encounter made his accounting go much easier, and he finished much more quickly than usual.

As he finished his work, Renge finished hers, quickly thanking Hikaru and returning to Kyoya's side. The vice-president looked amused at her exuberance as she plopped down beside him on the plush sofa. _Well, he's in a good mood. I might as well ask him again._ Periodically, Renge asked Kyoya to date her. Periodically, Kyoya rejected Renge's proposals. It was all part of the routine. He knew she was too optimistic to ever give up, and he actually enjoyed her attentions. He wasn't sure whether she like him, liked that video game character, or just wanted a boyfriend, and he didn't want to be in a relationship without benefits for himself.

_Well, she is quite attractive. That's a sky-high benefit. Not that there aren't a lot of attractive girls at Ouran…_

"So?" she queried.

He smirked, looking almost snakelike. "What's in it for me?"

Renge did a double take. "Oh!...um."

He moved to get up, stopped by her (surprisingly firm and confident) words.

"Wait…I'm attractive. I don't bore you to death. I'm actually a useful club manager. I'm not overbearing. I'm wealthy and make you look good. I can go with you to parties and hold my own in intellectual conversations. We can have intellectual conversations with one another." Renge paused.

These were fair points. But…

"I like you," she stated.

"You like Miyabi," he countered.

"No, Kyoya. I don't like Miyabi. I don't like the charming host. I like _you._"

Well, there was his answer. "Well, alright, I suppose," he replied.

Renge was quite…physical, and Kyoya was not completely prepared for that. Nevertheless, he enjoyed it immensely when one morning she grabbed him and pinned him against the wall, right outside a classroom door. He responded by kissing her hungrily (because fuck propriety and convention, he really wanted to) and as they came up for air he heard the grating voice of the class president.

"Ohtori! I never would have expected it from you! This is improper! You will get detention!"

Ignoring the class president, he went back to kissing Renge, muttering against her lips, "Fuck his opinions, anyway. He's useless."

The bell rang, interrupting them, and he pressed his body to hers, feeling the younger's steady heartbeat. He let her go, and within moments he was back to being the flat Shadow King and she was off to homeroom.

Between Tamaki's whining that Kyoya was "cheating on Daddy with that horrible otaku" and the whispers of stunned classmates (was that really Kyoya?) he wondered whether or not it had been worth it. But when a record number of girls showed up at the host club that afternoon, squealing at how much of a tsundere Kyoya was, he decided that yes, it was worth it.

And he had Renge to look forward to after the club was over. They chatted and schemed on how to make more money, Renge squealing a bit over the tsundere Kyoya, promising to characterize him with a soft side in the latest "Moe Moe Ouran Journal". Her advice was so useful, and her marketing was wonderful. And she was wonderful. He didn't know what he'd do without her, personally and professionally.

He captured her lips in another kiss, feeling her heart under his chest. _Doki doki_.


End file.
